The present invention relates to an apparatus for improving manufacturing management using a wireless device.
The manufacturing process requires careful logistical planning to produce products as quickly as possible. An issue that may arise on a manufacturing floor or an assembly line is the constant need to replenish parts used in the manufacturing process. This need presents logistical difficulties in that each worker or work station may have only limited space to store the necessary parts on an assembly line. Moreover, each worker or work station may have a different number of parts and thus run out at different times on the manufacturing floor. Accordingly, the bulk of the parts used on the manufacturing floor or assembly line may be located offsite at a central parts facility. Such parts must be transported from the central parts facility to each worker or workstation on a case by case basis.
Prior art systems have attempted to solve this problem by providing a wired electronic notification system for each worker or work station. Upon realizing that a shortage of parts will occur in the near future, the worker activates the notification system to notify the central parts facility. The wired system then ascertains the identity of the worker and the type of parts needed.
The disadvantages of the wired electronic system are many. Fashioning such a system in a wired fashion adds an additional level of complication to an already complex manufacturing system. Moreover, the wired system lacks the flexibility to be quickly reconfigured based on the changing layout of a manufacturing facility.